Airports: Stansted

Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will take to ensure that the Essex Constabulary is reimbursed by BAA for the outstanding costs of policing Stansted airport.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Secretary of State for Transport has been asked by Essex Police Authority to make a determination in respect of the costs of policing Stansted airport. The determination process is ongoing.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 18 May (WA 60), what was the basis for determining that the persons concerned, who acquired British national (overseas) status by registration, retained Indian or Nepalese citizenship; and whether the original determinations were correct.

Lord Triesman: The data were collected by the Hong Kong Immigration Department prior to the handover of Hong Kong to China on 30 June 1997. Our consulate general, Hong Kong took responsibility for administering the British national (overseas) database following the handover. The consulate general was not involved in collecting the data nor did it determine how the data would be collected or the basis on which any decisions on retaining citizenship would be made.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 18 May (WA 60), why they will not remedy the database information on the persons concerned who acquired British national (overseas) status by registration and retained Indian or Nepalese citizenship, when the fourth data protection principle requires them to take active steps to keep the database accurate, whether or not they have received a complaint about its accuracy.

Lord Triesman: Our consulate general, Hong Kong amends the British national (overseas) (BN(O)) historical database whenever additional information on an individual is received, such as when a BN(O) registers as a British citizen. The existing records on the BN(O) historical database reflect an individual's status at the time they applied for Hong Kong residence status, British Dependent Territories Citizenship, and subsequently registered as a BN(O). There are over 3.4 million records on the BN(O) historical database, which can be accessed only by name. It would not therefore be practical to identify individual records of those BN(O)s who might have been affected by the recent clarification by the Indian and Nepalese authorities of their countries' citizenship laws.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 18 May (WA 60), whether the persons concerned who acquired British National (Overseas) status by registration and retained Indian or Nepalese citizenship were informed of the data which were being recorded and entered into their personal database records.

Lord Triesman: The data were collected by the Hong Kong Immigration Department prior to the handover of Hong Kong to China on 30 June 1997. Our consulate general, Hong Kong took responsibility for administering the British national (overseas) database following the handover but was not involved in the process of collecting the data.

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 18 May (WA 60), to whom people who acquired British national (overseas) status by registration and retained Indian or Nepalese citizenship should apply to have their records corrected; and what evidence they should submit for that purpose.

Lord Triesman: Our consulate general in Hong Kong will review any individual's record on the British national (overseas) (BN(O)) historical database. However, if a BN(O) has retained his or her Indian or Nepalese citizenship there would be no requirement to amend the historical database as it refers to their status at the time they applied for Hong Kong residence, registered as a British Dependent Territories citizen, and subsequently as a BN(O).

British Citizenship

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 18 May (WA 60), having regard to paragraphs 6.2 and 6.3 of Annexe H to Chapter 14 of the Home Office Nationality Instructions, why some records in the register show individuals holding British national (overseas) status and Indian citizenship simultaneously when acquisition of British national (overseas) status results in automatic loss of Indian citizenship.

Lord Triesman: The British national (overseas) (BN(O)) historical database is administered by our consulate general, Hong Kong. It is an accumulative database previously kept by the Hong Kong Immigration Department (HKID), prior to the handover of Hong Kong to China. The information on the database reflects details of a person's nationality status at a particular time ie when they acquired Hong Kong residence, registered as a British Dependent Territories citizen, and subsequently as a BN(O). Individuals were not asked to provide additional information as to any other nationality they might have held at that time.
	The loss by an individual of any other country's citizenship can be confirmed only by the country concerned, and at the time an individual applied for BN(O) status, prior to 30 June 1997, this would not have been a concern for HKID.

Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make representations to the Government of Burma to secure the early release of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lord Triesman: The Government condemn the Burmese regime's decision to extend the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi.
	My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 31 May expressing the Government's concern about the continued detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, calling for her immediate release and the release of all other prisoners of conscience in Burma.
	The statement can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/Show Page&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid =1148473573847.

Coastal Areas: Conservation

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many and which coastal areas in England and Wales have been designated conservation areas.

Lord Rooker: Information on the number of coastal areas which have been designated conservation areas is not held centrally.

Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will extend the deadline of 15 May 2006 for the completion of the 2006 single farm payments.

Lord Rooker: The 15 May 2006 deadline for submitting applications under the 2006 single payment scheme is fixed in EU legislation and is not a matter for national discretion.
	However, as my right honourable friend the Secretary of State explained in his Written Statement in the other place on 9 May (Official Report, col. 10WS), farmers have been advised that the normal "late claim" penalties will not apply to applications received between 16 and 31 May 2006.

Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment

Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will pay interest on moneys outstanding to farmers on their 2005 single farm payments.

Lord Rooker: The question of interest arises only in respect of payments made after the legal deadline of 30 June. We have not reached that point yet and I do not want to deflect the Rural Payments Agency in the interim period from concentrating on its main priority, which is to ensure that outstanding payments are made as soon as possible.

Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment

Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why farmers who have outstanding single farm payment validation checks from 2005 have been asked to fill in their 2006 applications for the scheme when they have not yet been paid for 2005.

Lord Rooker: The Rural Payments Agency is endeavouring to make a full or substantial partial payment to all 2005 single payment scheme claimants by the end of June 2006. By 23 May £1.32 billion had been paid, representing 88 per cent of the total projected expenditure.
	In accordance with EU regulations, farmers must submit a valid application for direct payments each year. In recognition of the difficulties faced this year, my noble friend Lord Bach announced on 5 May that late claim penalties would not apply to applications submitted between 16 and 31 May 2006.

Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment

The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Bearing in mind that they are considering introducing partial payments to farmers under the single farm payment scheme and that the historic portion due under the scheme is fully definable only subject to cross-compliance, why they have decided not to use this as the basis of payment.

Lord Rooker: Making partial payments against the overall value of farmers' individual claims, adjusted in respect of the level of validation completed on those claims prior to payment, ensured both that the Rural Payments Agency had the most accurate view of how much a farmer was eligible to receive and that it could distribute the maximum amount of that sum within the shortest possible timeframe.

Devolved Administrations: Expenditure

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the total budget expenditure by each of the Exchequers in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast in the last year for which figures are available; and what was the contribution from the United Kingdom Exchequer in London to each of the three public Exchequers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Information on the total budgets of the Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland departments and the funding of this expenditure including the grant from the UK Exchequer is published in the 2006 annual reports of the Scotland Office and Wales Office and the Northern Ireland departmental report.

Domestic Crime, Violence and Victims Act 2004

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will bring into force the provisions for non-molestation orders in the Domestic Crime, Violence and Victims Act 2004.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The measures held within the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004 have been rolling out in stages since March 2005. A number of sections, including making breach of a non-molestation order a criminal offence, will be commenced as funding becomes available.

Government: Official Residences

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which (a) officials, and (b) former officials of the Cabinet Office including staff in Number 10 Downing Street currently have the use of a residence owned or financed by the Government; and, in each case, what is (i) the title of the official in residence, serving or retired; and (ii) the annual running cost of the residence.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The director of finance and administration at the Emergency Planning College occupies a self-contained flat in the college grounds from Tuesday to Thursday night due to the requirement to be on-call in case of emergencies. It is not possible to disaggregate the running costs from the fixed priced multi-activity facilities management contract.

Incomes

Lord Lea of Crondall: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, with the agreement of Professor Tony Atkinson of Nuffield College, they will take responsibility for the ongoing publication of his top 1 per cent of income earners series alongside currently published series for deciles and quartiles.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The latest information on the share of income of the top 1 per cent of taxpayers is available in table 2.4, "Shares of total income (before and after tax) and income tax for percentile groups" which is available on the HM Revenue and Customs website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income tax/table2 4.xls. HMRC has no current plans to produce any further analyses beyond those already published.

Iran: Public Executions

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have made representations to the Government of Iran about the number of public executions which have taken place in Iran since President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power; and whether they have made an assessment of that number.

Lord Triesman: International non-governmental organisations maintain that, in 2005, only China carried out more executions than Iran. Iran does not publish official statistics of the total numbers of executions. The Iranian authorities continue in their failure to apply even the most basic of standards to the use of the death penalty. Many death sentences are carried out in public. The execution of two youths aged 17 and 20 in Khorrambad (Lorestan province) on 13 May, barely a month after the crime for which they were hanged, raises serious questions about whether the death sentence that was handed down was the result of a fair trial and whether the two were able to exhaust all avenues of appeal open to them.
	We have repeatedly made representations to the Iranian authorities over their use of the death penalty. On 19 April 2006, the EU issued a statement in which it expressed its,
	"serious concern about the general increase in executions in Iran".
	During our presidency of the EU in 2005, we pressed the Iranian authorities on seven occasions on death penalty related concerns. In July 2005, the EU issued a public statement recalling the EU's,
	"long held position that capital punishment may not, in any circumstances, be imposed on persons below 18 years of age at the time of the commission of their crime".
	We have also raised our concerns in other fora. We were pleased that all EU member states co-sponsored a resolution on human rights in Iran at the UN General Assembly in December 2005. The resolution expressed serious concern at,
	"public executions including multiple public executions and, on a large scale, other executions in the absence of respect for internationally recognised safeguards",
	and deplored,
	"the execution of persons who were below 18 years of age at the time their offence was committed".

Israel and Palestine: Borders

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the proposals advocated by the United States and Israel regarding the unilateral erection of a new border beyond the Green Line is in accordance with international law and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations since 1967.

Lord Triesman: We believe that it is for the parties to determine their permanent borders through mutual agreement in accordance with the road map. Under phase III of the road map, both parties will determine their permanent borders through mutual agreement. Final status issues can be resolved only through negotiations and agreement between the parties themselves. We share the quartet's (EU, UN, US and Russia) goal of a two-state solution with Israel secure within her borders and Palestine established as a viable, contiguous state. We shall continue to work to this end.
	The territory beyond the Green Line, which Israel occupied in June 1967, is occupied territory. UN Security Council Resolution 242 (1967), which the UK supported, calls for,
	"the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict and the termination of all claims of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries free from threats or acts of force".

Israel and Palestine: West Bank

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to seek matching concessions from Israel to accompany any Hamas recognition agreement, including early military withdrawal from the West Bank.

Lord Triesman: We urge both parties to respect their existing agreements and act in accordance with international law. Israel must stop all settlement activity and route the barrier away from the Green Line. Under phase III of the road map, final status issues are for both parties to negotiate. We support this approach.
	We support the three principles set out by the quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) and endorsed by EU Foreign Ministers on 30 January. The full text of this statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1138869357937. Members of the Palestinian Government must be committed to non-violence, recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the road map. Hamas needs to start implementing these principles and make clear the path it intends to take.

Medicines: Animal Testing

Baroness Greenfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 13 March (WA 191), whether a statement about the proportion of approved drugs tested on animals could be included on each sheet of prescription pads.

Lord Warner: The Government accept the need to communicate the necessity of medical research using animals where no other way of carrying out the research is currently possible. This includes the testing of potential drugs in animals. We have no plans at this stage to include on prescription forms a statement relating to animal testing.

NHS: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What procurement guidance is given to government departments on the notice to be given to contractors when a long-standing contract is not to be renewed; whether such guidance was followed by the Department of Health in its decision to terminate the contract for the provision of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) to all doctors and pharmaceutical advisers in England; and whether they will reconsider the appropriateness of the notice given.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health's most recent three-year contract with Which? Ltd had an end date of 31 March 2006 from the outset. There was therefore no legal obligation to give notice. Department of Health officials nevertheless informed Which? Ltd in September 2005 that the future of the contract was under review and that it might not be renewed on expiry.

NHS: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What cost benefit analysis was carried out prior to the decision to cancel the bulk subscription for the provision of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB); whether they will publish that analysis; and what was the annual cost of the bulk subscription for the provision on the DTB.

Lord Warner: The cost to the Department of Health of the purchase and distribution of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin in 2005-06 was £1.4 million. The decision not to renew the contract was informed by our policy to devolve as much responsibility as possible to the National Health Service and to look very critically at central spending. It is our policy that central spending should be kept to an absolute minimum in order to maximise the resources available for the NHS to manage at a local level. The decision also took account of the availability of other sources of medicines information.

NHS: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have made an assessment of the total annual saving for the National Health Service if, as a result of the advice given in the most recent issue of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, there was one fewer inappropriate prescription in each primary care trust area of (a) becavizumab, and (b) cetuximab.

Lord Warner: We have made no such assessment. Prescribers make decisions on the basis of a range of considerations in the context of the needs and safety of their patient.

NHS: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Lord Rea: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What sources of impartial information they have made available to National Health Service doctors since the termination of the contract to publish the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin; and what other sources of information they advise National Health Service doctors to use.

Lord Warner: Doctors and other prescribers have access to a wide variety of information resources to support their prescribing. These include the British National Formularies, National Prescribing Centre information and advice which includes coverage of new medicines, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidance, the wealth of information available through the National Library for Health, and various academic and professional journals. National Health Service prescribers also have access to advice from the network of local drugs and therapeutics committees and prescribing advisers.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 3 May (HL5135), where the information is held indicating on how many occasions since 1997 the Department for Trade and Industry has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman; and how members of the public may have access to that information.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Information on the handling of Ombudsman's cases is held in the department's internal records. There have been no occasions since 1997 when the department has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Information can be requested by members of the public under the Freedom of Information Act.

Parole Board

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ensure that in future appointments to the chair of the Parole Board are again made on a full-time basis rather than for three days a week.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There are no plans to make the chair of the Parole Board a full-time appointment, although the requirements of the post will be reviewed at such time as we are seeking to make a new appointment.

Parole Board

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it would be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights for Parole Board hearings to be conducted inquisitorially but with a right to legal representation in appropriate cases; and, if so, whether they will draw this to the attention of the Parole Board.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Parole Board oral hearings are conducted in accordance with the Parole Board rules. They are intended to be inquisitorial. Prisoners are entitled to be present at the hearing and to be legally represented. The Parole Board is aware of this.

Parole Board

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Parole Board is required to make decisions about prisoner release on the basis of an objective assessment of the risk of re-offending in the particular case and without regard to the views of any victim of the prisoner's previous criminal misconduct.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Parole Board is required to take its decisions on the basis of the risk the offender would pose to the community if released. However, in determining whether to release a determinate sentence prisoner on parole licence, the Parole Board is required to take into account any information in relation to its impact upon the victim or the victim's family, any risk he/she may present to the victim or victim's family and any representations made by the victim in respect of conditions to be included in the offender's licence.

Police: Reorganisation

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What evidence there is that police forces of fewer than 4,000 serving officers will be unable to meet the challenges identified by the Secretary of State for the Home Department as the reason for police force restructuring throughout England and Wales.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Forces with fewer than 4,000 officers generally do not have the capacity and capability to deal with cross-border and serious organised crime. For example, smaller forces do not usually create dedicated teams to deal with major incidents or investigations without having to extract officers from neighbourhood policing teams. This is evidenced in work done by both HMIC and independent experts and set out in HMIC's report, Closing the Gap.

Road Safety: Intelligent Speed Adaptation

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What research is currently being undertaken in the United Kingdom into intelligent speed adaptation; what are the interim findings of the research; whether they will publish any final report on the research; and, if so, when.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Transport is sponsoring an intelligent speed adaptation (ISA) research project, which began in 2001 and is expected to end in December 2006. The main aim is to assess the effect on driver behaviour of using ISA over time.
	The research involves four separate trials of suitably equipped vehicles. Draft reports on each of the trials are being submitted to the Department for Transport as and when they complete. The department does not intend to publish these separately. The complete findings will be published in the final report after the conclusion of the project.
	The department also sponsors a separate but related project to support the main research and the general development of ISA nationally and internationally by providing expert advice on an ad hoc basis.

Road Safety: Intelligent Speed Adaptation

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the potential reductions in fatalities identified in earlier research into the effectiveness of intelligent speed adaptation with regard to (a) fixed; (b) variable; and (c) dynamic systems.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Research entitled External Vehicle Speed Control, sponsored by the then Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and carried out between 1997 and 2000, suggested potential accident reductions as shown in the following table.
	
		
			 System Type Speed Limit Type Best Estimate of Injury Accident Reduction Best Estimate of Fatal and Serious Accident Reduction Best Estimate of Fatal Accident Reduction 
			 Advisory Fixed 10% 14% 18% 
			  Variable 10% 14% 19% 
			  Dynamic 13% 18% 24% 
			 Driver Select Fixed 10% 15% 19% 
			  Variable 11% 16% 20% 
			  Dynamic 18% 26% 32% 
			 Mandatory Fixed 20% 29% 37% 
			  Variable 22% 31% 39% 
			  Dynamic 36% 48% 59% 
		
	
	An executive summary of the results is available on the department's website.

Rural Communities

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What successful outcomes there have been from the Countryside Agency's Doorstep Greens project and similar projects by other bodies; and which departments will build on this by working with the new office for the third sector to increase resources made available to rural communities in England which are working on community development.

Lord Rooker: A total of 93 Doorstep Greens are fully complete. The names of sites already completed can be found at www.countryside. gov.uk/doorstepgreens. To date, 193 Doorstep Greens have started work on site with only one more yet to start work on site.
	One of the initiative's defining features is the importance placed on effective community consultation. Generously funded at the start of a project, a good consultation holds the key to successful, inclusive, sustainable green spaces. Independent evaluation of Doorstep Greens conducted last year showed that 92 per cent of people running their own Doorstep Green thought that the community "mostly or completely got what it wanted through the design and development stages of their projects".
	Thirty-one fully illustrated case studies of Doorstep Greens (in "before" and "after" states) can be read at www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Recreation/DG/casestudies/case studies 02.asp.
	The research report into Doorstep Greens by the Parks Agency can be found at www.countryside.gov.uk/Images/DG%2OEval%20final%20report%20Vol%201 tcm2-28133.pdf.
	Research summary: www.countryside.gov.uk/Images/CRN 99 tcm2-28300.pdf or copies can be ordered directly from the Countryside Agency's Doorstep Greens national project team on 0121 233 9399.
	The Office of Charity and Third Sector Finance, which was launched on 31 March 2006, is aimed at supporting the activities of the voluntary sector. It focuses on financial support to the sector and co-ordinates policy including on spending decisions for the 2007 spending review. It also supports the cross-departmental ministerial team and acts as a central point of contact for external stakeholders.